Clothespin



March 11, 1958 J. 'F. VAN DRIEL 2,325,952

CLOTHESPIN W Filed Aug. 19, 1955 INVENTOR JOHN E VAN DR/EL.

p V I BY ATTORNEYS United States Patent CLOTHESPIN John F. Van Driel, Irvington, N. J., assignor, by mesne.

assignments, to Petcar Research Corporation, Washington, D. C., a corporation of New Jersey Application August 19, 1955, Serial No. 529,479

3 Claims. (Cl. 24-138) This invention relates to clothespins and provides such a device having a new configuration, structure and mode of application and operation. The invention particularly relates to one-piece clothespins and not to clothespins having two or more separate, pivoted, spring-pressed parts.

By the present invention I have provided a clothespin of new and improved construction, configuration and mode of operation, which is operated or applied in a manner different from that of usual clothespins and which is an improvement on usual and known clothespins in every way. A principal object of the invention has been to provide a clothespin which does not engage and hold the clothesline and the articles hung over it by a simple, straight-line wedging action but, on the contrary, is applied to the clothesline and articles by a nonlinear movement culminating in a locking action which causes the clothespin positively and permanently to engage and hold the clothesline and articles, but which is easily and quickly releasable from the clothesline and the articles hung thereon. Preferred embodiments of clothespins constructed in accordance with this invention are described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a front elevational view of a clothespin according to the invention, showing it applied to a clothesline over which an article of clothing or the like is hung;

Figi 2 is a side view of the clothespin shown in Fig. 1, an

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are front elevational views of modified forms of the invention showing various embodiments it may take.

A clothespin constructed in accordance with a preferred form of the invention is disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing and comprises a circular, disc-like body 2 formed of a plastic, wood or other suitable material, having flat, circular side faces 4, 6 and peripheral wall 7 and being of sufiicient thickness to give requisite and desirable strength and rigidity to the clothespin and to give sufiicient width to the surfaces of the clothespin which bear against the clothesline and the articles hung thereon to prevent removal of the clothespin by flapping of the hung articles when, for example, they are blown by the wind. The body of the clothespin has a central, circular opening 8 extending entirely therethrough from face 4 to face 6 and which is concentric with the periphery of the body 2. This opening is of slightly larger diameter than the clothesline to which it is to be applied, whereby a clothesline A having clothing or any other article B hung over it will be securely received and held within the opening 8 when the clothespin is applied in its normal and intended manner to hold such article on the clothesline. Access to the central opening is provided by a passage 10 which extends from the periphery of the body to the central opening 8 and from side face 4 to side face 6 and which has side walls 12, 14 which are curved in the same direction, but not to the same degree, with respect to a radial line, thus forming a curved passage. At its entrance end 16, at the 2,825,952 Patented Mar. 11, 1958 periphery of the body 2, this passage is wider than the diameter of a usual clothesline and at its inner end 18,.

where it enters the central opening 8, the passage is slightly narrower than a usual clothesline.

In the use and application of a clothespin according clothesline to pass into and along the passage 10 into.

the central opening 8, while at the same time the clothespin is rotated slightly in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1 in order to accommodate the clothesline to the curved passage 10. As the clothesline and the articles hung on it pass through the inner end 18 of the passage 10 into the central opening 8 the clothesline will be slightly compressed because of the constriction of the passage at this point and it will then snap into the central opening 8 where it will be securely retained. In order to remove the clothespin it is necessary only to pull it upwardly from the clothesline while, at the same time, turning it slightly in a direction opposite to that of the arrow in Fig. 1.

If desired, the body of the clothespin may be formed I with two or more clothesline openings of the same or. diiferent sizes whereby it may be used with clotheslines of different sizes or to accommodate articles of different thicknesses hung on the same line. A clothespin according to this form of the invention is disclosed in Fig. 3 of the drawing and has a larger clothesline opening 24) and a smaller clothesline opening 22. The opening 20 is reached by a curved passage 24 having a larger outer end and a constricted inner end and the opening 22 is reached through a curved passage 26 having the same general shape and configuration as the passage 24 but being of smaller lateral size and preferably shorter length. It will be seen that the passages 24, 26 are curved in the same direction so that when the clothespin is applied or removed it will be turned in the same direction regardless of which of the two openings is used.

In any embodiment of the invention it may be desirable to remove some of the material of the body in order to reduce the weight or cost of the clothespins or for any other reason. A clothespin so constructed is shown in Fig. 4 and it will be seen that this clothespin is identical in construction with that disclosed in Fig. 1 with the sole exception that a part of the material of the body of the clothespin between the central opening 4 and the periphery has been removed leaving an opening 30 which may be of any desired size or shape.

In any embodiment of the invention the walls defining the passage which leads to the line-receiving opening and, in fact, the walls which define the line-receiving opening itself, may be roughened or formed with alternate transverse grooves and ridges which increase the frictional resistance of the clothespin to accidental removal from the clothesline and the articles hung thereon. Such alternate grooves and ridges are shown at 32 in Fig. 4.

The opening into which the clothesline is received is preferably at the center of the body of the clothespin as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, but it may be oifset from the center as shown in Fig. 5. In such an embodiment of the invention the circular body 40 is provided with an opening 42 which is offset from the center of the body 40 and which is reached through a passage 4- having an entrance end somewhat larger than the diameter of a usual clothesline and an inner end 46 which is somewhat smaller than the diameter of a usual clothesline, all as described hereinbefore in connection with the other embodiments of the invention.

While the described circular configuration is the prefer-red form of my invention and constitutes an important feature thereof, it will be apparent that clothespins having other shapes, such as a square, may be formed with the clothesline receiving opening and curved entrance passage which form a most important part of the invention. Clothespins according to the invention, however, have a generally circular, square or similar shape rather than the elongated shape of usual clothespins.

It is believed that the use and application of clothespins according to this invention will be fully understood from the foregoing description. These clothespins may be easily applied to a clothesline over which clothing or any other article is hung and when so applied will securely retain the line and the article hung over it within the clothesline opening in the clothespin. Accidental removal of the clothespin is rendered virtually impossible because of the fact that the passage leading to the opening in which the clothesline and hung articles are positioned is constricted in the manner described at the point at which the passage enters the line-receiving opening. In addition, the parts of the clothespin on either side of the entrance opening, such as opening 16 of Fig. 1, have a resilience in a direction toward and away from each other, thus increasing their holding effect on the articles held between them. Further, the weight of the clothing or other article on the line causes the clothespin to exert an additional holding or locking action thereon, thus effectively preventing the clothes or other article from falling from the line. It will be seen that the weight of the clothes, which is exerted downwardly on the long end thereof at B, will exert a counterclockwise force on the clothespin and clothesline, tending to force the clothesline and the article hung thereon against the pressure point C of the clothespin, thus securely locking the hung article between the clothesline and the pressure point. In addition, the long end B of the clothing rests against the pressure point D of the clothespin, which is located at the juncture of the peripheral wall 7 and the wall 12 of the access passage 10, and prevents the clothespin from rotating or twisting to a greater degree than is required, thus providing additional security.

The device provided by this invention may find uses other than the usual use of a clothespin to hang articles on a clothesline and devices according to the invention but employed for such other uses are to be understood as being within the spirit and scope of the claims.

While I have described and illustrated a number of embodiments of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates that other embodiments, as well as modifications of those disclosed, may be made and practiced without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, for the limits of which reference must be made to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A clothespin comprising a circular disc having a substantially circular opening at its center and having a tapered slot extending from the periphery of the disc to the central opening, said slot having a greater width at its outer end than at its inner end where it intersects said central opening.

2. A clothespin comprising acircular disc having a substantially circular opening at its center and having a tapered slot extending from the periphery of the disc to the central opening, said slot having a greater width at its outer end than at its inner end where it intersects'said central opening, the sides of said slot curving' in the same direction.

3. A circular disc having a substantially circular opening at its center, an arcuate tapered slot extending from the periphery of the disc to the central opening, said slot having a width at its inner end of less diameter than said opening and having a width at its outer end of substantially greater dimension than said inner end.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 144,079 Smith Mar. 5, 1946 D. 153,644 Stanley et al. May 3, 1 949 1,868,726 Collier July 26, '1932 2,519,987 Wernette Aug. 22, '1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 246,459 Switzerland Sept. 16, 1947 614,019 Great Britain of 1948 644,758 Great Britain of 1950 928,823 France June 16,1947 942,707 France Sept. 20, 1948 

